Hail and Damaging Winds in New Mexico, June 14, 1997

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in New Mexico, June 14, 1997
Start: 1997-06-14T12:16
End: 1997-06-14T13:30
Location: New Mexico

June 14, 1997 · NWS MAF · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

Several factors came together on this Saturday afternoon. In the upper levels the remnants from Tropical Storm Blanca passed through the area in a southwesterly flow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $1,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS MAF wrote it up.

Several factors came together on this Saturday afternoon. In the upper levels the remnants from Tropical Storm Blanca passed through the area in a southwesterly flow. At the surface, dew points were near 70 degrees over much of the region and the dry line was located just east of the mountains.The first storms were generated in the relatively dry air and formed into a NW-SE oriented line. When this line intersected the dry line, storms began to form southward along this convergent area. The modified 1200 UTC MAF sounding on the SHARP workstation indicated a mean parcel buoyancy of 2900 J/kg and a best parcel buoyancy of 5200 J/kg.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Eddy

When: June 14, 12:16 PM MST
Where: Eddy County, 18 mi SW of Carlsbad
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.230, -104.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Eddy

When: June 14, 12:29 PM MST to 12:33 PM MST
Where: Eddy County, Carlsbad
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Coordinates: 32.420, -104.230

A large area of showers was moving to the northeast through southeastern New Mexico with embedded thunderstorms. One of the storms that passed over Carlsbad had 65 mph wind gusts that snapped large tree limbs.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lea

When: June 14, 1:30 PM MST
Where: Lea County, 2 mi E of Hobbs
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 32.700, -103.100

This same area of showers and storms moved into Lea County and knocked down power lines and snapped off numerous tree limbs. Strong winds were reported across much of Lea County, but resulted in little damage.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New Mexico in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in New Mexico, June 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5611509, 5611510, 5611511.